My last question was closed due to egregious subjectivity so I'll be very objective with this post.

Premise: Frozen, microwavable foods are "usually fully cooked during preparation, and only need to be reheated". Microwavable dinners are "formulated to remain edible after long periods of storage".

If I cook some fettuccine Alfredo, mix the pasta together, store it in the refrigerator, and microwave it the next day (or next week), the sauce will objectively separate, and (I guess this is subjective but who would argue) the left overs have a taste and feel which are degraded compared to that which came right off the stove.

If frozen foods are formulated to remain edible after long periods of storage, then the ingredients used to formulate such foods are responsible for this longevity. Therefor, which of the following ingredients in Stouffer's Fettuccine Alfredo are responsible?

I am particularly interested in ingredients that I as a consumer can have control over to experiment with. For example, from my other question I learned that the food technologists at these companies have altered their starch (called "modified starch"), which I am unable to do.

Lactose "may be used to sweeten stout beer; the resulting beer is usually called a milk stout or a cream stout."

Lactic acid "Lactic acid is used as a food preservative, curing agent, and flavoring agent. It is an ingredient in processed foods..." It is also used to lower pH in beer.

Calcium lactate, I couldn't find too much on. From this interesting site it appears to be used in a lot of cheese products.

Maltodextrin " improves the mouthfeel of the beer, increases head retention and reduces the dryness of the drink. Maltodextrin has no flavor and is not fermented by the yeast, so it does not increase the alcohol content of the brew. It is also used in snacks such as Sun Chips. It is used in "light" peanut butter to reduce the fat content but keep the texture"

The main thing that contributes to the longevity of frozen foods is the freezing. Once you actually freeze something well, sealed in an airtight container, it's going to stay that way for a while. Are you maybe trying to ask "how do I make an alfredo sauce that holds up to freezing" and "what's the best way to freeze pasta?"
–
Jefromi♦Mar 28 '14 at 7:35

@Jefromi Yep I got that feedback in my previous question. I will definitely try freezing and comparing that to refrigerating. Nope, I'm not trying to ask specifically about alfredo; my previous post was closed and it was suggested that I ask about specific ingredients, so I chose my favorite frozen meal.
–
Matthew MoisenMar 28 '14 at 8:32

@MatthewMoisen, you are assuming that your alfredo sauce will separate if frozen and then re-heated, and that you need extra ingredients to prevent the separation. I would suggest that if you freeze quickly after cooking it will remain stable. If the freezing in this case that does the work for you, not additives.
–
GdDMar 28 '14 at 12:38

@MatthewMoisen Then... I don't understand your question. If you're aware that freezing is what does the preserving, why are you asking about preservative ingredients?
–
Jefromi♦Mar 28 '14 at 17:41

@Jefromi I figured that the freezing contributed to the longetivity but that perhaps the ingredients did as well. What I mean by longevity is both the retention of flavor (as compared to refrigerated leftovers) and other cooking components that I'm not aware of as I'm new this. As an example, the emulsion properties of xanthan gum. I'll definitely try freezing though and reformulate this question as required.
–
Matthew MoisenMar 28 '14 at 22:32